Noodlers Inks are different!

Madigan Milford of Goulet Pens kindly sent me 8 inks to test and they are the inks that the alphabets have been supplied for (see below). The other 4 inks I had as samples so thought it logical to include in the test.

If you have been following my blog, you’ll know by now that each fountain pen ink appears to have its’ own character and that certain characteristics and behaviours can be associated with particular brands. Noodlers is a new brand to me and the behaviour of their inks is something else entirely.

Noodlers are known for creating ‘bulletproof inks’ to minimise fading and to prevent document tampering and forgery. These inks are claimed to be agent (including bleach) resistant and often demonstrate a degree of resistance to water, which is interesting as the inks break down leaving a sediment effect, rather like a watercolour paint, often on top of a feint translucent base colour.

Kiowa Pecan – A rich dark rust colour that doesn’t easily blend with water. Browns, reds, oranges and yellows do come out in solution with plenty of deep brown sediment. No reaction with bleach. A deep dark brown colour when used as a writing ink.

Apache Sunset – A rich orange colour that doesn’t easily blend with water. Oranges and yellows do come out in solution. A limited reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A deep uneven orange / brown colour when used as a writing ink.

Black Swan in Australian Roses – What a brilliant name for an ink! A rich crimson colour that doesn’t easily blend with water. Crimsons, scarlets and magentas with a deep burgundy sediment do come out in solution. A very limited reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A deep crimson colour when used as a writing ink.

Bay State Blue – A rich royal blue colour that blends with water. Gradates into uneven clumps of colour in solution with some sediment evident. A limited reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach turning yellow. A strong uneven royal blue colour when used as a writing ink.

Liberty’s Elysium – Another rich royal blue colour that blends unevenly with water. Gradates into uneven tints of the colour in solution with plenty of sediment evident. A limited reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A strong even royal blue colour when used as a writing ink.

54th Massachusetts – A fragmented Prussian blue colour that blends erratically with water. Gradates as uneven tints in solution with plenty of sediment evident and some grey hues. A very limited reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A dark blue colour when used as a writing ink.

Contract Blue Black – A very dark blue colour that blends erratically with water. Gradates as uneven tints in solution with plenty of sediment evident and some grey hues. A very limited reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A dark blue colour when used as a writing ink.

Midnight Blue – A very dark blue colour that blends easily in solution with bright blues and tints of the original colour evident in the wash with plenty of sediment. Very limited reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A dark blue colour when used as a writing ink.

Lexington Gray – A deep grey colour that blends easily in solution. A feint translucent blue with plenty of dark grey sediment floating on top of it. No reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A deep grey colour when used as a writing ink.

Heart of Darkness – A solid black that violently repels water! Try it and see. The initial swab of ink absorbs immediately into the paper while repelling the floating sediment away. No reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A heavy black colour when used as a writing ink.

Black – A dark black that blends reluctantly with water but does reveal some half tones. Lots of black sediment. No reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A dark black colour when used as a writing ink.

X-Feather – A dark black that doesn’t blend with water. The dark black sediment either absorbs directly or floats on the water. No reaction when subjected to a strong concentration of bleach. A dark black colour when used as a writing ink.

All tests on conducted Bockingford 200lb watercolour paper.

From a creative perspective these are spectacular results. Compare these to other brand tests and you’ll see why.

Above are the alphabet writing tests conducted on a standard cartridge paper using a Noodlers Ahab fountain pen with flex nib. These are wonderful writing inks. All of the inks flowed well through the nib, penetrated the paper easily and dried quickly. I applied a lot of pressure to the nib to get the maximum width of flex possible!

Top left to right: Contract Blue Black, Black Swan in Australian Roses, Bay State Blue, Liberty’s Elysium Bottom left to right: Apache Sunset, Heart of Darkness, Black, X-Feather

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Nick Stewart

I create art using fountain pen inks and bleach. My techniques epitomise the whole ethos of ‘less is more’ and demonstrate how much one can achieve using very little. It is also a medium that is very much serendipity led and the beauty of the final outcomes are often dictated by this.

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